About The Cast

Born in Sydenham, England, JASON STATHAM (Jensen Ames) was one of the best divers on the British team. He placed third in the Olympic trials on three different occasions, eventually placing 12th in the world.

While training at the famed Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London, film crews and photographers pursued him as a new talent for commercials and print campaigns. One of those jobs was a French Connection print ad where he met the owner of the company, who was also executive producer of a film in preparation: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Statham had a meeting with the director, Guy Ritchie, who gave him a role. He went on to work with Ritchie again in his next film Snatch, starring opposite Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro. Next came Turn It Up with U.S. music star Ja Rule, followed by a role in the sci-fi film Ghosts of Mars and The One, with Jet Li.

In 2002, Luc Besson cast Statham in the title role of Frank Martin in The Transporter. He starred as Handsome Rob in the summer 2003 blockbuster remake of The Italian Job and as the adrenaline-compromised action hero in Crank. Statham returned as Frank Martin in Transporter 2 and reteamed with Jet Li in War. He was recently seen in Roger Donaldson's The Bank Job, which opened No. 1 in the U.S. and the U.K., the true story of the 1971 Baker Street bank robbery, a story of intrigue, scandal and danger. Statham will next star in Transporter 3, out this Thanksgiving, and Crank 2: High Voltage, reprising his iconic role as Chev Chelios.

TYRESE GIBSON (Machine Gun Joe) was born and raised in Watts, California, a section of South Central Los Angeles. Gibson discovered a love of music at an early age and released his self-titled debut album at the age of 19. Soon after, he received an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R & B New Artist in 2000. In addition to his music career, Gibson has found success in both acting and modeling, appearing in numerous television series and commercials, including an exclusive contract with GUESS.

Gibson made his motion picture debut as the star of John Singleton's Baby Boy and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his lead role as Joseph Summers. He again worked with director Singleton on 2 Fast 2 Furious, playing Roman Pearce. Gibson was recently seen in Transformers. His others credits include Flight of the Phoenix; Singleton's Four Brothers, starring Mark Wahlberg and Andre Benjamin; Annapolis, directed by Justin Lin; and Vondie Curtis Hall's Waist Deep. Gibson is currently shooting Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

IAN MCSHANE (Coach) is currently earning critical acclaim for his Broadway performance in Daniel Sullivan's revival of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming. It's a 40th anniversary for both the play and McShane, as he made his Broadway debut in a production of The Promise in 1967, the same year The Homecoming first played on the Great White Way. McShane was recently seen on screen in Fox-Walden's fantasy adventure The Seeker: The Dark is Rising, as the mentor Merriman Lyon in the adaptation of Susan Cooper's beloved novel.

McShane's unique and distinctive voice has made him an in-demand voice talent adding his vocal prowess as Captain Hook in Shrek the Third; the villainous snow leopard Tai Lung in Kung Fu Panda, bowing in 2008; Mr. Bobinski in Laika Entertainment's first animated feature, Coraline, an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's international best-selling book and directed by Henry Selick; and as Ragnar Sturlusson in the first installment of New Line Cinema's trilogy The Golden Compass, alongside Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.

McShane earned the coveted Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Drama for his versatile performance as Al Swearengen on HBO's hit series Deadwood. His charismatic and alluring performance also led him to a 2005 Emmy and 2005 and 2006 SAG Award nominations for Lead Actor, as well as being voted "TV's Sexiest Villain" by People magazine in 2005.

His performance in Deadwood gained him a wave of critical acclaim, which earned him the Television Critics Association's annual award for Individual Achievement in Drama, and being selected as one of GQ's "Men of the Year." They described the character of Swearengen as "infectious" and "darkly irresistible." The New York Times dubbed him as "one of the most interesting villains on television," and Rolling Stone magazine bestowed the title of "Hot Barkeep" and described the character as "played to perfection."

McShane has continually shown his range of talent over the last few years appearing in numerous projects embodying a diversity of roles from Hot Rod, a comedy directed by Saturday Night Live's Akiva Schaffer, in which he played the macho, athletic stepfather to accident-prone daredevil Andy Samberg; Paramount Pictures' thriller Case 39, playing a detective opposite Renée Zellweger; Warner Bros.' true-life drama We Are Marshall, opposite Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox; Woody Allen's Scoop, alongside Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman; Rodrigo Garcia's critically acclaimed true-to-life character study Nine Lives; and Jonathan Glazer's critically acclaimed indie Sexy Beast, giving another riveting performance by transforming himself into the dark, sinister and very handsome character Teddy Bass, prompting one London writer to declare McShane "the king of cool."

Having starred in more than 30 films, McShane made his debut in 1962's Young and Willing, which led to other roles in Battle of Britain, The Last of Sheila, Villain (co-starring Richard Burton), Exposed and Agent Cody Banks.

McShane has enjoyed a long and creatively diverse career in both British and American television, including a role in the David L. Wolper's seminal 1970's miniseries Roots, as well as BBC and BBC America's Trust, playing the eccentric megalomaniacal head of the firm, Alan Cooper-Fozzard. Starring turns in Whose Life Is It Anyway? for Granada TV, the role of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights for the BBC and Harold Pinter's Emmy Award-winning The Caretaker, are among his other television highlights. McShane has also stepped into roles as well-known figures, taking on parts such as Judas in NBC's Jesus of Nazareth, directed by Franco Zeffirelli; Prince Rainer in the network's The Grace Kelly Story; and the title role in Masterpiece Theatre's Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic. Additional miniseries credits include Wonderworks: Young Charlie Chaplin, A.D., The Great Escape II: The Untold Story, Marco Polo, Evergreen and War and Remembrance.

In the late '80s, the actor formed McShane Productions, which produced the much-adored Lovejoy for the BBC and A&E. Lovejoy gave McShane a vehicle to star in as well as produce and direct. He followed his lovable rogue character Lovejoy by producing and starring in the darker and more serious lead role in Madson and the comedy drama Soul Survivors for BBC and Showtime. Lovejoy is currently enjoying a revival with audiences worldwide.

In 2000, McShane returned to the West End in London to make his musical debut starring in Cameron Mackintosh's successful musical The Witches of Eastwick as Darryl Van Horne. His varied stage career has included roles such as Hal in the original cast of Loot, the title role of The Admirable Crichton at the Chichester Festival, Tom in The Glass Menagerie and Charlie in The Big Knife. He co-starred with Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen in Promise, which successfully played London and debuted on Broadway. In Los Angeles, he starred in three productions at The Matrix Theatre, including the world premiere of Larry Atlas' Yield of the Long Bond and two others for which he received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award: Inadmissible Evidence and Betrayal.

Born in Blackburn, England, Ian is the son of professional soccer player Harry McShane, who played for Manchester United, and Irene McShane. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Ian and his wife Gwen Humble reside in Venice Beach, California.

A Miami native, NATALIE MARTINEZ (Case) is a Cuban beauty whose mother inspired her to audition for Jennifer Lopez's JLo clothing line, and ultimately beat out 5,000 girls and became the face of the line. She recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.

Martinez made her acting debut in MyNetworkTV's Fashion House. She portrayed Michelle Miller, the wife of a manipulative and controlling husband Lance (Mike Begovich) who doesn't want her to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer, so that she can be a stay-at-home wife. Natalie also appeared in the network's television series Saints & Sinners.

Three-time Oscar® nominee JOAN ALLEN (Hennessey) is one of the film world's busiest actresses.

Allen was most recently seen in the box-office smash reprising her role as Pamela Landy in The Bourne Ultimatum, opposite Matt Damon. In 2007, she was also seen in Bonneville, alongside Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates. Before that, she appeared in Yes,a modern-day, cross-cultural love story for writer/director Sally Potter. In 2005, Allen starred opposite Kevin Costner in The Upside of Anger for director/writer Mike Binder and in Off the Map, directed by Campbell Scott. In 2004, she was seen in the blockbuster The Bourne Supremacy and in the same year in The Notebook. Allen completed Hachiko: A Dog's Story, alongside Richard Gere, which is due to be released this winter.

Allen starred in The Contender, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, a SAG Award, an Independent Spirit Award and an Academy Award® for Best Actress.

Allen starred in Pleasantville, opposite William H. Macy and Jeff Daniels, which earned her several critics' awards. Her role opposite John Travolta and Nicolas Cage in the smash-hit film Face/Off earned her critical kudos as well as Blockbuster and MTV Movie Awards. Her emotionally devastating role in The Ice Storm, opposite Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver, also earned her several critics' awards.

In 1996, Allen starred in Oliver Stone's Nixon, for which she received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also won seven critics association awards, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics Awards.

Allen received her second consecutive Best Supporting Actress Oscar® nomination in 1997 for her role in Arthur Miller's The Crucible.

Allen has appeared in numerous feature films including Compromising Positions, Peggy Sue Got Married, Manhunter, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, Ethan Frome, Josh and S.A.M., In Country, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Mad Love, All the Rage and When the Sky Falls.

Allen is also one of the New York theater world's most honored actresses and winner of every major prize for her work on and off-Broadway. She received the Best Actress Tony Award for her performance opposite John Malkovich in Lanford Wilson's Burn This, and was nominated in the same category for the title role in The Heidi Chronicles. Off-Broadway, she starred in The Marriage of Bette and Boo (for which she won an Obie Award), and reprised her Steppenwolf Theatre/Joseph Jefferson Award-winning role in And a Nightingale Sang, for which she received Clarence Derwent, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards. Off-Broadway, she also starred in Delores and The Heidi Chronicles. An original member of Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Allen starred in their production of Burn This, Earthly Possessions, Reckless, A Lesson from Aloes (Joseph Jefferson Award), Balm in Gilead and Of Mice and Men. Allen will next star opposite Jeremy Irons in the upcoming Jack O'Brien play Impressionism, which will debut in Spring 2009. This will be her first time back on Broadway in 19 years.

Allen received an Emmy nomination for TNT's The Mists of Avalon, opposite Anjelica Huston and Julianna Margulies.

She lives in New York City with her daughter Sadie.

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